Former Speaker Fatou Jahumpa Ceesay Arrested

Former Speaker of Parliament Fatou Jahumpa Ceesay has been arrested, sources reaching this paper said. The disgraced speaker is among the  hundreds of  detainees held by the state on allegations of coup plot. Details of her arrest are sketchy at this hour. Sources said FJC has been missing for days. Madam FJC recently took out a ritual at the Bijilo Beach, where she slaughtered a goat along the riverside. She was spotted on site, and was accompanied by a cab driver. It is not clear if her arrest has anything to do with the sacrificed goat. But sources said the speaker has been languishing in state custody.

President Jammeh Named New Intelligence Chief Musa Dibba

By Ebrima Jammeh, Freedom Newspaper Contributor Banjul

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has named a new intelligence chief for the country’s main spy agency, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Freedom Newspaper can reveal. Musa Dibba, the erstwhile NIA administration Director is now the Agency’s Deputy Director General. “I am writing to inform you that Mr. Musa Dibba, who was brutally tortured in the 2006 foiled coup, and detained at Mile Two Prisons for about a year before his release, has been appointed Deputy Director of the NIA,” said our source. Mr. Dibba is a seasoned intelligence chief. He has been working with the NIA,  since its formation in July of 1994. Prior to joining the NIA, Dibba was with the defunct National Security Services (NSS).  He also briefly served The Gambia  Police Force, and rose to the rank of a cadet, before joining the Agency.

West Africa:  Is the Sub-Region a Periphery of Coups, Conflicts, Violence and Vengeance (Part IV)

By Binneh s Minteh, Former Gambian Army First Lieutenant. Newark, New Jersey

When one quickly analyzes the current trend of West Africa’s turbulent political landscape, it could be argued that the deadly peripheral political vulnerability of the sub-region is far from becoming a forgone tale, thus emboldening the region as reaching the point of departure confidently argued by several scholars of contemporary African Affairs.  Recent events in Guinea-Conakry that resulted to the deadly shooting of over 157 innocent civilians, the raping of innocent women and girls, the widespread dismissals, detentions and arrests across the senior echelon of The Gambian Armed Forces, and the political bigotry that propelled a hijacking of the constitution in Niger - constitutional changes that gave the incumbent President a third term mandate in a flawed election - has indeed raised several eyebrows.

Gambia: Immigration Boss Fired

As Jammeh Appoints Buba Sanyang As The New Immigration DG

The Director General of Gambia’s Immigration Department has been dismissed with immediate effect, the Freedom Newspaper can reveal. “I am writing you to inform you that the Director General of The Gambia Immigration Department has been dismissed from office.  He was dismissed yesterday after 37 years of service.  This man, Sakho Drammeh has worked for the Immigration Department all his life,”said a highly placed source in the heart of the Jammeh administration.  According to our well trusted source, Mr. Sakho Drammeh has  lost all his retirement benefits, following his unceremonious dismissal from the service.

An Open Letter to Kukoie Samba Sanyang

By Mathew K Jallow

Dear Kukoie,       

The past twenty-eight years could not have been easy for you, living the life a transient, and traveling from one strange country to another, like a vagrant. I get it. For I have been there and done that, although not as long as you. Nonetheless, the crushing experience of feeling that sense of homelessness we both experienced is still the same. But, fast forward to now. From what you have been writing, it appears both of us share the same passionate attitude towards our criminal compatriot, Yahya Jammeh, however, that is where our two similarities end. Over the past many years, you have written numerous articles espousing your political attitudes, thought and aspirations. It would appear that you still harbor that same ambition to lead The Gambia as you did more than two decades ago. Is any thing wrong with that? Of course not! It is your birth right to aspire to the highest office of the land, but your lengthy articles, a must read for a few who are still curious about you, are absolutely boring to me due to their rambling nature, lack of clarity, and incoherence.